A general history of the air war, opinions wanted

[Romani]

I have realized there's something missing in my growing library , I have plenty of books on the aces and airplanes, a few on selected campaigns, the odd in depth analysis of a particular subject, but it seems to me the trees don't let me see the forest. I am lacking a general overview of the airwar, an operational history. Something, that resembles Osprey's tried and proven scheme of opposing air forces, opposing strategies, and campaign description.

The closest thing to what I want would be the official stories of the air services, but I can barely read French so even if I could find a book on the French aviation it would be of little use. I cannot read German either, though fortunately I have in English the only two books on the German air force (Hoeppner memories and Neumann abridged version), plus Kilduff's book and the Osprey book by Sumner. I would like to have the British official history, but it is overkill both in extension and financially.

I own "The Friendless Sky" by Alexander McKee wich is entertaining but short on detail. Likewise, "Aces High" by Alan Clark, wich I borrowed is good enough and offers tantalizing bits to make me want to purchase it, even if I have read it and has no major revelations. These books are good, but they are just a sketch of the big picture.

So I have narrowed it to these three books. I excluded books by Peter Hart as being probably similar to McKee and Clark, and"The Sky Their Battlefield" by Trevor Henshaw since it's the typical Grub Street book, great for the researcher but a yawner to those of us that want to know "who did what to who, how, when, where, and why"




The First Air Campaign: August 1914- November 1918
-Lawson. 250 pages. 2002

The First Air War: 1914-1918
-Kennet. 288 pages. 1999

and
The Great War in the Air
-Morrow. 512 pages. 1993


Since I am a glutton for punishment, I already purchased Morrow's book and it's on the mail. I chose it for no particular reason other than is the thickest and I suppose it will have the most information, and on the positive review by fellow forumite Barrett. But I have the dawning suspicion it's a brick that is all about the industrial and economic aspects of the air war. Though it is interesting, books about the economics of warfare, the factory front, are less appealing to me than the shooting and killing at carnage at the front, frankly, a list of shot down airplanes is more exciting than a cold statistic of monthly airplane production.

I believe that probably the book that I have on mind hasn't been written yet, and to see the big picture I have to use several sources. So I ask if anybody has read Lawson or Kennet books and how they rate them. I would appreciate a book that tells something about the French air service. I reckon I know as much as I can know about German aviation without knowing German, and know where to look for the British and Empire side of things.

So tell me if they are a good purchase, or they don't have anything that isn't in Morrow already.

[Old Man]

I like Mr. Kennet's "The First Air War' a great deal, Mr. Romani. It is an over-view, certainly, with each chapter dealing with a particular element of the whole, but there is a good deal of specific information in each chapter.

One of its particular values in my view is that it lays out the importance of the reconnaisance function, and artillery spotting, very cogently. Another good point about the work is that it gives proper weighting to all the leading air services.

[Fokker Ace]

The Lawson book, in my opinion, is a decent overview but a somewhat basic overview. A fine quick reference or all-in-one for someone with slightly more than a casual interest in the subject. There are certainly interesting bits and nice graphics/photos/charts but I think you may find it only a coule steps ahead of an Aces High.

Bottom line; try to look at a copy before purchase to see if it's what you are after,

[steven brown]

Romani,
I just bought a copy of 'The Origin of the Fighter Aircraft' by John Guttman. I haven't read all of it yet, but it covers the high points of fighter tactical and technological evolution for everyone, including such under represented aspects as the Balkans, Russians and everyone else. Of course it is limited to fighter operations. I'm enjoying it.

[Romani]

Gentlemen, thank you all for the informative answers. I just got today Morrow's book. I understand now why is hard to tell what the book is about. The index is meaningless as it's just a chapter per year without a proper table of contents, I just read the preface, and I must say I am impressed by his prose and he sounds like a man after my own heart, as he makes the same points I outlined in my opening post. Could this be the book? that holy grail I have been questing after?

I am most impressed by the sources used, and interestingly, Kennet is thanked in the acknowledgements, turns out Kennet's book was first published in 1991, predating Morrow.


However, this does not supercede Kennett book, since Morrow book seems to be focused more on the industry and development of air forces, and I think Kennet will be better for describing the air war.

Interestingly Morrow wrote another two books about German aviation.

I will be doing some serious reading this month

[Old Man]

Originally Posted by Romani

Gentlemen, thank you all for the informative answers. I just got today Morrow's book. I understand now why is hard to tell what the book is about. The index is meaningless as it's just a chapter per year without a proper table of contents, I just read the preface, and I must say I am impressed by his prose and he sounds like a man after my own heart, as he makes the same points I outlined in my opening post. Could this be the book? that holy grail I have been questing after?

I am most impressed by the sources used, and interestingly, Kennet is thanked in the acknowledgements, turns out Kennet's book was first published in 1991, predating Morrow.


However, this does not supercede Kennett book, since Morrow book seems to be focused more on the industry and development of air forces, and I think Kennet will be better for describing the air war.

Interestingly Morrow wrote another two books about German aviation.

I will be doing some serious reading this month

Mr. Morrow, Sir, has taken the industrial end of things for his especial province and in doing so has, I think, added a great deal to our understanding of developments and events. I have his 'Building German Air Power, 1909 -1914" and consider it a small master-piece. Its focus is the way in which the German aviation industry was shaped in its foundation by the requirements of military aviation, as the military leadership conceived these to be in the pioneer period. This in turn had a great influence on the designs that appeared in the war-time period, in questions ranging from engine availability to what firms were able to engage in quality mass-production. The air war was first and foremost a contest of engineers and the machines they designed and produced, and so questions of industrial development must have a major effect on the course and outcome. When Mr. Morrow started his studies and writings, it was very much the fashion to treat the air war as a question of personalities, and personal daring-do, and he has almost single-handedly altered this, and very properly so on my view.

[steven brown]

Old Man,
Thank you for the book report. It appears that I need to add more books to my list.
I quite agree with your remarks about the importance of the technological side of things. All air wars in history were, at bottom, a struggle between engineers and industrial development.

[Ginger.]

Bad move excluding 'Bloody April' by Peter Hart, it doesn't cover the entire war but definately tells you 'who did what to who'!
This review of the book gets it spot on in my 'umble opinion...

"Bloody April is about the air war over Arras in 1917: the
British lost large numbers of aircraft to the Germans, and
the life expectancy of a rookie pilot could be measured in
days. Yet, paradoxically, the British won the battle that
month. Bloody April goes into depth on the characteristics
of the aircraft, the training, the prelude to April and the
aftermath: there are innumerable quotes from diaries,
letters home, and other accounts that help show the attitudes
and the stress.

The romantic view of the war in the air in W.W. I is usually
that of single-seat fighters in combat with each other. The
reality is that for the RFC in the Arras sector, only a third
of the aircraft were single-seaters: the rest were all two-
seaters, although some of these had to be employed as fighters
at times. The primary mission of the RFC was to help with
photo reconnaissance (thousands of photographs had to be taken
each day) and artillery spotting (using wireless transmitters
to help artillery zero in on targets). The primary role of the
fighters was to escort the photo recon and artillery spotting
aircraft and to screen them by offensive patrols. Trench-
strafing, anti-balloon attacks, and bombing were of secondary
importance, as was the need to prevent photo recon and artillery
spotting by the Germans.

The German fighters were far superior to almost all of the
British two-seaters, and were superior to most of the British
fighters, but the Germans had only half as many aircraft in
the sector as the British, and so they usually played a
defensive role. The British accepted very heavy losses in
exchange for getting the photographs and the artillery
spotting done. There are quotes about how a squadron with
32 planes lost 35 pilots during April--replacement pilots
would survive only a few days. Flying a BE2 with only 10 hours'
flying experience against veteran German pilots whose planes
were twice as fast and had twice the firepower was not
conducive to lasting very long.

Bloody April never gets bogged down in small details--it gives
a first-class flavor to what things were really like, and it
helps dispell the romantic myths. It's a fine book.!"

Good Hunting.

[bristol scout]

Hi Ginger---Guys,
Yes, i agree, and would also cite the much earlier (1967) 'Bloody April' byAlan Morris---it pushes the same buttons!

A good overview has always been 'The Royal Flying Corps-A History' by Geoffrey Norris, I feel (1965), at least for British early days.

Dave.

[JFM]

Tumult in the Clouds, The British Experience of the War in the Air, 1914-1918, Nigel Steel and Peter Hart, 1997.